Marjane Satrapi
| Marjane Satrapi | |
|---|---|
Satrapi at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival
|
|
| Born |
22 November 1969 Rasht, Iran |
| Nationality | French and Iranian |
| Area(s) | Artist and writer |
|
Notable works
|
|
| Awards | full list |
Marjane Satrapi (Persian: مرجان ساتراپی) (born 22 November 1969) is an Iranian-born Frenchgraphic novelist, cartoonist, illustrator, film director, and children's book author.
Satrapi was born in Rasht, Iran, and grew up in Tehran in a middle-class Iranian family. Both her parents were politically active and supported Marxist causes against the monarchy of the last Shah. When the Iranian Revolution took place in 1979, they were dismayed and intimidated by the Muslim fundamentalists who took power.
During her youth, Marjane was constantly exposed to the growing brutalities of the various regimes. She witnessed many family friends being persecuted, arrested, and even murdered. She found a hero in her uncle, Anoosh, who had been a political prisoner and lived in exile for a time. Young Marjane adored her uncle and greatly admired him, and he in turn doted on her, treating her as if she was his own daughter. Tragically, as detailed in Satrapi's autobiography, Anoosh was arrested again and executed; his body was buried in an unmarked grave in the prison. Anoosh was only allowed one visitor before his execution, and he requested Marjane. The loss of her uncle left her deeply upset. As a young teen, Marjane began to act out, getting into trouble with the police for breaking modesty codes and buying music banned by the regime.
Her parents grew concerned that the young Marjane, a strong-willed and rambunctious teenager, would run afoul of the strict new public codes for women. They arranged for her to study abroad, and in 1983 she arrived in Vienna, Austria, to attend the Lycée Français de Vienne. According to her autobiographical graphic novel, Persepolis, she stayed in Vienna through her high-school years, staying in friends' homes, but spent two months living on the streets. After an almost deadly bout of pneumonia, she returned to Iran. She studied visual communication, eventually obtaining a master's degree from Islamic Azad University in Tehran.
...
Wikipedia